Brink of Reality: New Canadian Documentary Film and Video, by Peter Steven. Published in 1993 by Between the Lines (Toronto). 287 pages In Brink of Reality Peter Steven examines the convergence of video-art and social-issue documentary in what he calls the new documentary. Looking at the history of documentary making in Canada from the 1940s to the present, Steven finds that a different kind of production has emerged: work that is stylistically innovative and daring, committed to social change, and often produced in collaboration with social groups and movements. Steven backs up his study through interviews with 14 creative documentary producers, including John Greyson, Alanis Obomsawin, Richard Fung, and Sara Diamond. Also includes chapters on distribution, the CBC and the NFB, and documentary audiences.

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